What National Debt?

[longknife]

Morning Bell: 15 Pictures of Ridiculous Government Spending Guaranteed to Make You Mad

Kelsey Harris, August 20, 2013 at 6:50 am

In 2013, federal spending approached $3.5 trillion. Now that’s hard to wrap your brain around. It’s about $27,700 for every American household.

All across America, families balance their budgets, rein in spending, and pay down their debts. If Americans can do it, why can’t the federal government?

Instead, they’re wasting your taxpayer dollars on programs like the ones below. We’ve compiled just 15 examples of the ridiculous spending that is driving America toward a $17 trillion national debt.

See and read all this disgusting stuff @ 15 Pictures of Ridiculous Government Spending Guaranteed to Make You Mad

 

[NightFox]

Morning Bell: 15 Pictures of Ridiculous Government Spending Guaranteed to Make You Mad

Kelsey Harris, August 20, 2013 at 6:50 am

In 2013, federal spending approached $3.5 trillion. Now that’s hard to wrap your brain around. It’s about $27,700 for every American household.

All across America, families balance their budgets, rein in spending, and pay down their debts. If Americans can do it, why can’t the federal government?

Instead, they’re wasting your taxpayer dollars on programs like the ones below. We’ve compiled just 15 examples of the ridiculous spending that is driving America toward a $17 trillion national debt.

See and read all this disgusting stuff @ 15 Pictures of Ridiculous Government Spending Guaranteed to Make You Mad

It's not that the federal government CAN'T do it, it's that the federal government doesn't want to do it, after all it's a lot harder to earn votes than to buy 'em with other peoples money.

 

[Mac1958]

It's not that the federal government CAN'T do it, it's that the federal government doesn't want to do it, after all it's a lot harder to earn votes than to buy 'em with other peoples money.

My biggest reason (among others) for wanting term limits. We all know what's happening, yet we're willing to turn a blind eye. Then we're somehow disappointed with the results.

.

 

[longknife]

It's not that the federal government CAN'T do it, it's that the federal government doesn't want to do it, after all it's a lot harder to earn votes than to buy 'em with other peoples money.

My biggest reason (among others) for wanting term limits. We all know what's happening, yet we're willing to turn a blind eye. Then we're somehow disappointed with the results.

.

Won't make a bit of difference.

Legislators enact the laws and the president signs them into law.

THEN, it's the bureaucrats who remain anonymous and unaccoutable who SPEND the money they way they want. Most with the certain knowledge that, when they retire from government service, they will get cushy jobs with private industry they've helped.

The only change will be to do away with government unions and TENURE! Make them accountable!!!

 

[g5000]

Morning Bell: 15 Pictures of Ridiculous Government Spending Guaranteed to Make You Mad

Kelsey Harris, August 20, 2013 at 6:50 am

In 2013, federal spending approached $3.5 trillion. Now that’s hard to wrap your brain around. It’s about $27,700 for every American household.

All across America, families balance their budgets, rein in spending, and pay down their debts. If Americans can do it, why can’t the federal government?

Instead, they’re wasting your taxpayer dollars on programs like the ones below. We’ve compiled just 15 examples of the ridiculous spending that is driving America toward a $17 trillion national debt.

See and read all this disgusting stuff @ 15 Pictures of Ridiculous Government Spending Guaranteed to Make You Mad

Those examples are a drop in the ocean compared to the $1,300,000,000,000 of tax expenditures Congress allows every year.

Including yours.

 

[Mac1958]

It's not that the federal government CAN'T do it, it's that the federal government doesn't want to do it, after all it's a lot harder to earn votes than to buy 'em with other peoples money.

My biggest reason (among others) for wanting term limits. We all know what's happening, yet we're willing to turn a blind eye. Then we're somehow disappointed with the results.

.

Won't make a bit of difference.

Legislators enact the laws and the president signs them into law.

THEN, it's the bureaucrats who remain anonymous and unaccoutable who SPEND the money they way they want. Most with the certain knowledge that, when they retire from government service, they will get cushy jobs with private industry they've helped.

The only change will be to do away with government unions and TENURE! Make them accountable!!!

Well that is just an excuse for me to launch into my weekly rant!

Yeah!

1. Strict, short term limits
2. Balanced Budget Amendment
3. Publicly-funded elections

Remove the power from those who abuse it the most!



.

 

[g5000]

My biggest reason (among others) for wanting term limits. We all know what's happening, yet we're willing to turn a blind eye. Then we're somehow disappointed with the results.

.

Won't make a bit of difference.

Legislators enact the laws and the president signs them into law.

THEN, it's the bureaucrats who remain anonymous and unaccoutable who SPEND the money they way they want. Most with the certain knowledge that, when they retire from government service, they will get cushy jobs with private industry they've helped.

The only change will be to do away with government unions and TENURE! Make them accountable!!!

Well that is just an excuse for me to launch into my weekly rant!

Yeah!

1. Strict, short term limits
2. Balanced Budget Amendment
3. Publicly-funded elections

Remove the power from those who abuse it the most!



.

Are you willing to give up your mortgage interest tax deduction? How about your child tax credits?

Are you willing to give up ALL your deductions?

If not, YOU are the problem.

Publicly funding elections. So you want to spend MORE tax money? Really?

The reason we have an American Politiburo is because special interests pay lots of campaign cash for that $1,300,000,000,000 in tax expenditures which Congress gave them. And you are a willing participant.

Just watch people scream and cry and stomp their feet if you demand the tax penalty for not buying a house be removed from the tax code.

You see, America's new motto is, "Gimme, gimme, gimme, and make that guy over there pay for it." Then we spend our time pointing out the mote in other people's eyes (IRS party, studies of fruit flies, Obamaphones, etc.) while ignoring the beam in our own.

Your "solutions" are addressing the symptoms instead of the disease.

 

[NightFox]

It's not that the federal government CAN'T do it, it's that the federal government doesn't want to do it, after all it's a lot harder to earn votes than to buy 'em with other peoples money.

My biggest reason (among others) for wanting term limits. We all know what's happening, yet we're willing to turn a blind eye. Then we're somehow disappointed with the results.

.

I wouldn't expect Congress to term limit itself (or do anything in the way of limiting the width, frequency or depth of it's own ongoing malfeasance), IMHO the only way you'd ever see Federal Congressional term limits is via a Constitutional Convention and even then it wouldn't be easy.

 

[Mac1958]

Won't make a bit of difference.

Legislators enact the laws and the president signs them into law.

THEN, it's the bureaucrats who remain anonymous and unaccoutable who SPEND the money they way they want. Most with the certain knowledge that, when they retire from government service, they will get cushy jobs with private industry they've helped.

The only change will be to do away with government unions and TENURE! Make them accountable!!!

Well that is just an excuse for me to launch into my weekly rant!

Yeah!

1. Strict, short term limits
2. Balanced Budget Amendment
3. Publicly-funded elections

Remove the power from those who abuse it the most!



.

Are you willing to give up your mortgage interest tax deduction? How about your child tax credits?

Are you willing to give up ALL your deductions?

If not, YOU are the problem.

Publicly funding elections. So you want to spend MORE tax money? Really?

The reason we have an American Politiburo is because special interests pay lots of campaign cash for that $1,300,000,000,000 in tax expenditures which Congress gave them. And you are a willing participant.

Just watch people scream and cry and stomp their feet if you demand the tax penalty for not buying a house be removed from the tax code.

You see, America's new motto is, "Gimme, gimme, gimme, and make that guy over there pay for it." Then we spend our time pointing out the mote in other people's eyes (IRS party, studies of fruit flies, Obamaphones, etc.) while ignoring the beam in our own.

Your "solutions" are addressing the symptoms instead of the disease.

I don't understand your post.

.

 

[g5000]

Term limits won't work.

Under the current system, a Congressman receives lots of campaign cash. In exchange, the Congressman places millions or billions of dollars of carve-outs in the tax code for those groups which donated all that campaign cash. The Congressman also places exemptions to regulations as riders on bills.

This has resulted in a 98 percent re-election rate for anyone in the House of Representatives who chooses to run for re-election.

98 percent. That's an American Politburo.

The Senate has a nearly 80 percent re-election rate.

Is it any wonder they no longer feel it necessary to resign when caught getting blowjobs in the men's room? They are invincible.

Term limits won't change anything. Instead of exchanging favors for cash, they will exchange favors for jobs when their term is over. You will just end up with a higher turnover of corrupt assholes.

We need a ban on tax expenditures. Solve the disease, not the symptom.

And I mean all of them. Including mortage interest deductions. YOU are part of the disease.

 

[NightFox]

Term limits won't work.

Under the current system, a Congressman receives lots of campaign cash. In exchange, the Congressman places millions or billions of dollars of carve-outs in the tax code for those groups which donated all that campaign cash. The Congressman also places exemptions to regulations as riders on bills.

This has resulted in a 98 percent re-election rate for anyone in the House of Representatives who chooses to run for re-election.

98 percent. That's an American Politburo.

The Senate has a nearly 80 percent re-election rate.

Is it any wonder they no longer feel it necessary to resign when caught getting blowjobs in the men's room? They are invincible.

Term limits won't change anything. Instead of exchanging favors for cash, they will exchange favors for jobs when their term is over. You will just end up with a higher turnover of corrupt assholes.

We need a ban on tax expenditures. Solve the disease, not the symptom.

And I mean all of them. Including mortage interest deductions. YOU are part of the disease.

Tax EXPENDITURES don't exist so you cannot ban them. Now if you want to eliminate all income tax favoritism and flatten rates, I'm 100% with you as long as it's accompanied by corresponding reductions in actual federal expenditures.

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dem politicians got us up to our eyeballs in debt...

US debt: how big is it and who owns it?
Who owns US debt around the world - and how big is it? Find out how China got to own over $1.4 trillion - and see how it's changed in Obama's first term

US federal debt is still a record high. This week it passed a milestone: the fourth straight year the deficit has passed the $1tn mark. As of today, the national debt stands at $16,066,241,407,385.80 (just over $16 trillion). It's an issue that's sure to come up in the first presidential debate this Wednesday. So, how does the US borrow money? Treasury bonds are how the US - and all governments for that matter - borrow hard cash: they issue government securities, which other countries and institutions buy. So, the US national debt is owned mostly in the US - but the $5.4tn foreign-owned debt is owned predominantly by Asian economies.

Under President Obama's first term, that figure has gone up from $3tn, a rise of 74.1%. Under George W Bush, it went up too - by 85% over the whole two terms - and 64% in his second term alone. The US Treasury releases the figures on this every quarter - we have made them more useable. So, who has the most? Bad as that number is, using the bald total figure is not as representative as using a measure which compares the debt to the size of the economy. That is, debt as a percentage of gross domestic product - GDP. And, looking at that figure up to the end of 2010 (using OECD data), Britain is actually worse off than the US.

The key findings are:
• As of July this year, US Treasury bonds owned overseas accounted for $5.4tn of the national debt - up 14.6% on last year. That's not everything - the US now owes over $16tn.
• China is the biggest owner of US Treasury bonds - over $1.14tn. But it's down 12.6% on last year, backing up reports that China is selling off its US treasury bonds
• Bonds bought in the UK (mainly private investors and pension funds) make it the eighth country on the list at $140.9bn - up 13.5% on January 2009 when Obama took over

It reflects a US national debt which has grown starkly, from $7.8tn in 2005 to busting through the US debt ceiling of $14.294tn last year - according to these day by day figures. Bad as that number is, using the bald total figure is not as representative as using a measure which compares the debt to the size of the economy. That is, debt as a percentage of gross domestic product - GDP. And, looking at that figure up to the end of 2010 (using OECD data), Britain is actually worse off than the US.

MORE